Japanese punk legends Shonen Knife have returned to one of the most important records in their catalog with Let’s Knife Re-Cut, a newly recorded version of their 1992 breakthrough album Let’s Knife. The new edition is available through Good Charamel Records and features the band’s current lineup of Naoko, Atsuko, and Risa.

Rather than simply putting the original album back into circulation, Shonen Knife headed to Buffalo earlier this year to record its songs again with engineer Jay Zubricky. The project gives longtime fans a new version of a record that helped introduce the Osaka band’s sugary punk sound to a much wider audience.

The original Let’s Knife brought together songs from Shonen Knife’s early catalog and became an important part of their rise outside Japan. Their mix of Ramones-inspired punk, bright power-pop melodies, playful lyrics, and sci-fi imagination earned them famous fans including Kurt Cobain, who later invited the group to tour with Nirvana.

The new version also includes a fresh recording of “Riding On The Rocket.” Its playful space theme began with a Japanese card game Naoko enjoyed as a child, which inspired her to imagine traveling through space with her cat. A new music video filmed during the recording sessions at GCR Studios brings viewers directly into the making of the re-recorded track.

Let’s Knife Re-Cut arrives during another busy summer for Shonen Knife. The trio are currently touring the United States alongside Men At Work and Toad The Wet Sprocket, with dates continuing through Aug. 20. They have also performed special headlining shows as Osaka Ramones, celebrating the punk band whose simple, fast songwriting has remained a major influence on Shonen Knife.

More than three decades after Let’s Knife helped bring the band to listeners around the world, its appeal remains wonderfully clear. These are fast, catchy punk songs powered by melody, humor, and an unmistakable sense of fun.

Let’s Knife Re-Cut gives that music another life without trying to turn it into something it never was. Shonen Knife still understand the magic of a loud guitar, a great melody, and a song built to make people smile.